


Wanna-Be (Adored)

by heoneymin



Series: I Wanna (Walk That Line) [2]
Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: (the bg relationship is joohyuk btw), Alternate Universe - College/University, Changkyun is bad at romance but he tries, College student Changkyun, First Meetings, M/M, Model Chae Hyungwon, Rating May Change, Workplace Relationship, because yep it's been done before no I don't care, sorta - Freeform, who is also a DJ
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 06:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18068213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heoneymin/pseuds/heoneymin
Summary: Changkyun just wanted some work experience in music production, really. Being friends with Jooheon already provided him with enough second-hand love drama, he didnotneed one of his own.Hyungwon manages to— Well, not throw those expectations out the window per se.Rather, the idea of Hyungwon distracted Changkyun with his too-loud laughter, snuck past his barriers, and subtly picked up those expectations lying around in some mental file cabinet. Then slid them right into the nearest paper shredder.





	Wanna-Be (Adored)

**Author's Note:**

> is there even a tag for 'accidentally acquiring a sugar daddy, only you're not actually sleeping together, but you kinda want to, but you work together so you're not sure that's a good idea'? 
> 
> because that's this fic.

 

"I got an offer."

Jooheon pauses mid-bite, temporarily foregoing his sandwich to offer a enthusiastic "For real?"

Changkyun nods. Maybe his grin is a bit smug, but in his defense, he's been trying to land a job that would give him experience in actual music production for what feels like ages.

"Assisting on some DJ's track. He's not super well-known, but he has done a few gigs here and there. Plus, his online following is insane. It'll be great exposure."

The word triggers a tick at the edge of his best friend's smile.

" _Please_ tell me you're not getting paid in exposure alone."

"Oh how little you think of me," Changkyun points his plastic totally-not-threatening fork towards Jooheon's face, "That would be a rookie mistake."

"You are a rookie," Jooheon reminds him.

"Yeah, but a talented one. My raps are fire."

"Soundcloud isn't gonna pay your bills."

Oh, he's asking for it. Changkyun evens his face out into his most angelic smile and waits for the perfect moment. 

"We can't all get ourselves a sugar daddy."

Jooheon chokes on his drink.

" _Changkyun_."

Changkyun cackles at the completion of his revenge, but something in Jooheon's grimace holds him back from carrying on as he usually would.

"You know I'm just teasing you, right?"

"Yeah," Jooheon looks down at his cup, "Sorry. Don't know where that came from."

Changkyun can hazard a guess. Jooheon has never been good at hiding his emotions and they've been friends since forever. He can read between the lines.

Jooheon really likes this rich guy he's been sleeping with.

It's right there in the way he smiles at the buzz of his phone, how he subconsciously keeps playing with the bracelet that appeared on his wrist about a week ago. Not to mention the songs Changkyun has seen him work on that are most definitely not coursework.

Pointing it out probably wouldn't do much good at the moment though.

"Anyway," Changkyun diverts the topic back to safer places—such as him getting lucky for once in his college career. "I'll be going over to the guy's studio on Friday, so don't wait up for me."

"Roger that."

Changkyun can almost hear the gears in Jooheon's head turn. There's no way he won't use the opportunity to go see Minhyuk.

Yeah, Changkyun's definitely not the only one getting lucky here.

 

*

 

His first meeting with the guy in question goes about as well as expected. By some stroke of heavenly intervention sorting public transport out, Changkyun manages to arrive early with a whopping five minutes to spare. He's pretty proud of himself, to be honest.

Ironically, his new boss arrives fifteen minutes late looking like he just rolled out of bed.

It's one in the afternoon.

He eyes Changkyun's mug of coffee—courtesy of the secretary at the entrance—with nothing short of longing. Which is hilarious, because wow. So much for this person being a responsible adult that has his life together. Truly a man after Changkyun's own heart.

"Hi," Changkyun starts, still sounding a bit more awkward than he would have liked. "Do you want this?"

"Im Changkyun, I presume?" the guy asks with narrowed eyes. He doesn't refuse the offer though.

Changkyun slides his mug over to the other side of the table with a flourish.

"One and only."

"Chae Hyungwon."

"H.One, yeah, I got your card from your manager."

They haven't been here for more than a minute and Changkyun already wants to hit himself. He should really try being more polite. It's just hard to remember that the man looking ready to keel over in front of him is also his employer.

With a moderate amount of caffeine in his bloodstream, Hyungwon seems at the very least more present than before.

"Right, he would have. Sorry, I'm afraid I had a late start today."

Changkyun waves a hand. "Don't worry about it. I took a calculus class in my first year with this guy that arrived to 8 A.M. lectures with six energy drinks in his bag. Exhaustion is the college norm."

"And here I thought partying was the college norm."

"Same thing, but I guess you'd know more of the parties."

"Maybe so."

If Changkyun got anything from that exchange, it's that Hyungwon probably won't fire him for being his usual awkward self. That much is good to know.

Things go a bit smoother from there at least. Hyungwon's manager and two other people join soon after the coffee is gone, and throughout contract negotiations and planning a schedule and brainstorming ideas Changkyun forgets his nerves altogether. The atmosphere is a lot more casual than he expected, in a good way. Nothing screams professional setting like your boss almost tripping over his own feet after all.

So sue him for being surprised to learn later that Hyungwon's main job is modeling. The guy is just too much of a klutz, all beauty and no grace.  It's hard to imagine him otherwise, despite his good looks. Not to mention Hyungwon always appears to be snacking on something or other.

His looks are definitely model material though. Impossible to deny that.

They only meet two times per week, when both their schedules align, and always with other people around. Yet the impression Changkyun gets of Hyungwon remains largely the same: tall, lanky sleepyhead. He sees him curl up in the nearest chair after recording for five hours straight and head out to buy coffee at four in the morning. Hyungwon's sense of humor should by all accounts be considered terrible but his quick wit is a thing to fear.

The contradiction is interesting, and Changkyun has always been the curious type.

He starts asking more questions. He grows comfortable in the enclosed spaces of Hyungwon's studio, familiar with the sound of heated discussions about percussion and synths and phonecalls in the background. It's controlled chaos, creativity flowing into music.

Changkyun feels like he could thrive in a place like this.

All of it should be overwhelming, but it's not. It's really not.

It's exhilarating.

 

*

 

Things go great. So great even that Changkyun's contract gets renewed for two additional tracks and he accepts without hesitation. Job opportunity aside, he doesn't feel ready to let go yet of his new workplace or the friends he made there.

Some evenings he works alone now, given more freedom to try and play with ideas than before because he has proven his worth—at least to a minimal degree. And yes, he doesn't have to go to Hyungwon's studio for that, he could just work from home or even Wooki's or Jooheon's, but—

Neither of those places has Hyungwon in it. 

Hyungwon's studio doesn't even have Hyungwon in it, half of the time. His modeling career keeps him busy most days, to the point Changkyun starts to question why Hyungwon bothered to pick up DJ-ing as a hobby if he's already short on time.

It's no wonder he naps so often. How long has it been since Hyungwon got a full night's rest? And how does he manage to shake all of that tiredness off for his shoots?

Because Changkyun can't help but pay attention now to every ad or poster displaying his boss'— _coworker's? friend's?_ —face. There is no room for cloudy blinks and disgruntled frowns on billboards. Hyungwon's gaze staring back at him from magazines is more intense and seductive than he has ever seen it in real life, and the thought makes something inside his stomach churn.

Yet model hyungwon in all his wide-eyed, pouty-lipped, perfectly styled glory still can't hold a candle to the real thing.

Because the real Hyungwon stays late at the studio and then sends grumpy messages to their work groupchat in the mornings he has to get up for a shoot. He takes too-large bites of his food when there's no camera around and doesn't bother to brush his hair when he stays at home.

He's so perfectly imperfect.

Pages of paper don't smile too wide or laugh so loud it startles people two rooms over. That idealized version of Hyungwon splayed across TV screens doesn't lean precariously on his chair or argue over the latest movies.

So Changkyun vastly prefers the real Hyungwon, even if he can't quite forget how the model's eyes made him feel light-headed when he first saw that perfume commercial, or how those fashion ads made him wonder if Hyungwon's hair is as smooth as it looks. Or what it would feel like to run his fingers through it.

Intrusive thoughts, slowly bleeding into his real-life perception of Hyungwon too.

 It doesn't mean anything, Changkyun tells himself.

Hyungwon fussing over Changkyun forgetting his scarf at home during, Changkyun staying late even when he doesn't have to. Hyungwon bringing him coffee and buying his favorite snacks. And so what if Hyungwon drives Changkyun home more often than not, because public transport really sucks and it's just easier to share a car?

But Changkyun's eyes—and thoughts—linger.

And then, later, at the moment when Changkyun can no longer lie to himself and admits that okay, maybe he has a huge crush on Hyungwon, he is hit with another, far worse realization.

Hyungwon has been buying him dinner after work. He gave Changkyun one of the bags he received from a sponsorship deal, because Changkyun's run-down rucksack really needed replacing. When Changkyun complained about his earphones' quality being sub-par, Hyungwon told him to just take one of his own pairs because he had too many anyway.

In other words, Hyungwon has been gifting him expensive stuff for _weeks_.

Changkyun stares up at the ceiling of his bedroom, stumped by his own obliviousness.

Jooheon is going to laugh his ass off when he finds out about this.

 

*

 

Changkyun tries to think things through in a reasonable matter, by which he means he is sprawled across the sofa in the dead of night and working his way through a tub of Neapolitan ice cream.

Now, fact one: he has to work with Hyungwon for at least another month and a half. Untraditional workplace or not, he would prefer to not endanger his future career in any way.

Fact number two: Hyungwon is his friend. Not because he gives Changkyun things, obviously, but because Changkyun sends him messages at 5 A.M. that the DJ-slash-model replies to with sleep-induced keyboard smashes and funny pictures. You just don't do that for people you don't like.

Fact number three: something in the chemistry of Changkyun's body decided that _hey, you are very much attracted to this person and you will now have to notice that every single time he stands an inch too close or throws an arm across your shoulder, have fun with that!_

So this leaves Changkyun with a choice to make: act on that attraction, or suppress it until it hopefully goes away. He stares at the bottom of his tub of ice cream like it holds the secrets of the universe.

Fuck it, he decides, Jooheon will never let him live this one down no matter what he does.

He might as well give his best friend one thing less to tease him for.

 

*

 

"Hey, do you want to go on a date?" Changkyun blurts out as soon as Hyungwon picks up the phone.

"Eh, hello?" Hyungwon's voice deadpans. "What?"

"I'm asking you out."

And panicking about it, definitely that too. Changkyun's hands are clammy and his tongue feels too heavy to form coherent words. It was probably stupid to ask someone out by calling them in the middle of the night but he knows Hyungwon had a shoot that ran late today anyway, and who knows what Changkyun would've done if he had to wait until morning.

"Ok," Hyungwon sounds distant, like he's staring at his phone and trying to talk at the same time. Shit. "Why?"

The first thing that comes to Changkyun's mind is "Because I think I like you."

Hyungwon snorts. "You think?"

Changkyun relaxes by a breath. If Hyungwon is making jokes, he can't totally hate him already.

"See, that's why!" he replies, "I can't tell if you're asking me to clarify or insulting my intellect."

"And you like that?"

Changkyun nods, then realizes this is a phone call still and makes a noise in affirmation.

"It's interesting."

It grows quiet. If he wasn't able to hear Hyungwon's breathing on the other end of the line, Changkyun would've feared that the other hung up on him.

"You're really weird, you know that?"

Changkyun swallows. It's not a rejection, but it's starting to feel like one.

"So I've been told."

His mind fills with an endless amount of bad-end scenarios that could follow any minute now, ranging from cold indifference to explosive insults.

What he gets instead is a hesitant, "Alright. One date. Consider it a trial run."

"Wait, really?"

"Why do you sound surprised? You asked."

Changkyun doesn't know how to respond any longer. His brain has gone completely blank. Crashed. Ruined. "I guess I didn't really expect you to say yes."

"If this was a joke to—"

"It wasn't!" Changkyun shouts quickly, "I'm just in disbelief, I swear!"

"I'll trust you on that, then. Just... Don't pick anywhere too public, alright? Paparazzi is a pain to deal with."  

It feels like all of the air got knocked out of Changkyun's lungs.

"Wait, you're letting me pick where to go?"

"Again," Hyungwon huffs, amused, "why are you surprised?"

Right. Changkyun was the one who asked. He should have made an actual date plan, just in case Hyungwon said yes. Which he just did.

"You know what, I have no idea," Changkyun says eventually. "I might still be in a state of shock."

"Best go sleep it off now then," Hyungwon replies. He sounds like he's smiling, but that might be Changkyun imagining things. "Just tell me when and where tomorrow, alright?"

"I— Yes, I will. Goodnight?"

"Goodnight, Kyunnie."

Changkyung must definitely be dreaming. There's no other way the last ten minutes actually happened. Not getting rejected, _and_ a new nickname?

The beep of the connection being broken shakes him out of his stupor.

Alright. Overall, that went much better than expected. Now he only needs to not freak out next time he sees Hyungwon.

_Fuck_.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter is Hyungwon POV, just warning you in advance. 
> 
> My twitter: [ @heoneymin](https://twitter.com/heoneymin)


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